Newcastle 3 (Martins 18, Owen 43, Viduka 58)
Reading 0
The Royals were soundly beaten by Newcastle this afternoon by goals from Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen and Mark Viduka..
Read the run of events in our kick-by-kick analysis below.
Newcastle: Harper, Beye, Enrique, Edgar, Faye (Diatta 83), Butt (Smith 79), Barton, Geremi, Owen (capt), Viduka (Duff 74), Martins
Subs: Forster, Carroll
Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Shorey, Bikey, Ingimarsson (capt), Harper, Cisse (Fae 73), Oster (Convey 60), Hunt, Kitson (Long 73), Doyle
Subs: Federici, Duberry.
Yellow: Bikey
Ref: Lee Probert
Att: 52,179
Live updates
2.30pm Welcome to St James' Park where the teams have been announced.
Kalifa Cisse comes into the Royals starting line up, replacing Marek Matejovsky in the only Reading change. Glen Little has travelled but is not on the bench, so Emerse Fae comes into the 16.
Newcastle are without Steven Taylor (virus) so David Edgar comes into the defence.
2.45pm We're being deafened by a very loud PA system, currently belting out U2's 'Pride', as the teams warm up. Good to see Glen Little out there.
2:56pm - The atmosphere is building and the teams will be out any second now. A packed St James' Park awaits.
2:58pm - Some news sources are reporting that Rob Styles is today's official, but Lee Probert takes charge. An error on the teamsheet has caused the confusion. Probert walks the teams out of the tunnel.
2:59pm - One of the Reading mascots is almost as big as some of our players. He is sporting a goalkeeper's kit so it looks like we're lining up to shake hands fielding two goalkeepers!
1 min - Reading retain possession from kick off and Hunt wins a free kick on the left. Oster swings it in and Doyle rises with a mass of bodies and the ball flies just over the bar. Difficult to tell who had the touch but it's a goal kick.
2 mins - Martins now wins a free kick off Bikey on the right and Hahnemann has to punch behind from the cross. Two corners follow but Reading clear both and the Newcastle attack ends with Mark Viduka nodding well over.
4 mins - Hunt wins another free kick on the left and the free kick is taken quickly. It's cleared out to Cisse and then Bikey who shoots and it bobbles around inside the area and away. Early signs that this is going to be an open game.
10 mins - Doyle races away after some quick passing in midfield. He wins a throw on the right and Rosenior then wins a corner with a dangerous cross. The move comes to nothing but Reading are playing some good stuff.
11 mins - Good work from Shorey sees him feed Doyle inside the box. He jinks left and then right and looks for the space to shoot but eventually he's crowded out and the ball rolls over the byline.
16 mins - The lively Hunt squirms away from his man on the left and lays it back for Doyle, whose cross skids across the box with no-one there to get a touch.
17 mins - Doyle nods it back to Kitson well and the striker plays a delightfully well-weighted reverse pass to find Hunt's run. He's in here but with so little time to shoot he tries to take a touch and is eventually shepherded away from goal. A great pass from Kitson that almost unlocked the Magpies' defence.
18 mins - GOAL! An innocous pass out to Martins on the left sees Rosenior slip over and let Martins in. He's all alone and Bikey gets back to make him check back but he calmly slides it low past Hahnemann's splayed body for 1-0. Completely against the run of play.
22 mins - Rosenior launches it high for Oster, who does well to control it and turn his man. He plays it inside for Cisse who lines up a low drive from the edge of the area. It doesn't have much power and it skims wide of the right upright anyway.
23 mins - Enrique crosses it in from the left and Owen beats Ingimarsson to the header. It might be looping in here but Hahnemann stretches to touch it over his bar. Owen is adjudged to be offside anyway.
26 mins - Oster does well to loop a good ball into Kitson down the right. He holds it up waiting for Doyle to take up a position in the middle, and his first cross is nodded back to him. He tries to drive his second cross across the six yard box but Steve Harper is equal to it and holds on to it well.
32 mins - Oster wins a corner on the right and takes it himself. It is headed behind and Hunt comes across to try an inswinger but again Newcastle scramble it away after Harper's low drive is charged down.
33 mins - Hunt cross from the left and it comes to Oster on the right side. He tries to sidfoot a first time cross back in but Harper tips it away. From the corner Cisse has two snapshots but both are blocked.
37 mins - Barton crosses from the byline on the left. It's low into Viduka at the near post but the Aussie dummies beautifully and Owen is running onto it. He hits it but it spoons over the bar. A good chance to make it 2-0 there.
39 mins - Reading have a free kick 30 yards out. Hunt is lining it up and counting his paces backwards. He hits it but it skids low and harmlessly wide of Harper's left upright,
42 mins - Bikey earns himself a yellow card with a clumsy aerial challenge. Geremi delivers the cross and Reading try the charge to catch United players offside. It works.
43 mins - GOAL! Michael Owen runs onto a neat Beye dink over the top and hooks a great finish home with his right foot. The Royals don't deserve to be two goals down, but they haven't created a lot at the other end and Kevin Keegan's side always look like they have goals in them.
HALF TIME - Reading have it all to do here. Newcastle have taken their chances and therefore deserve the lead at the interval. Bolton also trail at Aston Villa at the moment.
Glen Little is out on the pitch kicking it about with Adam Federici at half time. We could do with a bit of his invention today, but the winger is not named on the bench so Reading fans will have to wait a little longer to see his return.
Bobby Convey is warming up without his tracksuit bottoms on. Could it mean a change is in the offing at the interval. Not often a Steve Coppell trait, so maybe I'm reading too much into it.
49 mins - Newcastle have started well and have Reading massively on the back foot. A MArtins cross is spilled by Hahnemann but Shorey clears.
52 mins - Rosenior puts it out for a corner with Martins bearing down on him in the left corner. Hahnemann catches it and finally Reading can try to build something. They've barely seen the ball so far this half.
55 mins - Oster crosses into the box from the right and Doyle gets in front of his man but it's just too high for him. Reading have a corner on the left side but it comes to nothing.
58 mins - GOAL! It was coming. So simple. Oster loses his man and Beye races into the box on the right. He cuts it back into the middle where Viduka calmly controls and pokes it home from 8 yards out. This is not good for our goal difference.
59 mins - Hunt chips a cross into the middle from the left and Kitson rises high to nod goalwards. But he can't direct it goalwards and it skims wide of the far post.
60 mins - Reading substitution. Oster is replaced by Bobby Convey.
62 mins - Time to look at what's happening elsewhere. Bolton are being soundly beaten by Villa now and 10-man Birmingham are also losing at Wigan. That means Reading will drop a place but lose no ground on Birmingham and Bolton. Fulham, next week's Madejski Stadium opponents, are being beaten 2-0 by Sunderland.
63 mins - Kitson desperately stabs it to Harpwer to his right, who tries to get a shot in, but it's nicked away from him and Newcastle race clear with it.
66 mins - Kitson loses it on the right with a flick that doesn't come off but he wins it back and cuts it back into the box. Cisse is lurking but United hack it behind and a free kick is awarded against Reading from the corner.
70 mins - David Edgar miskicks a clearance and it's looping high and dropping for Hunt inside the area. He watches it drop and volleys with his left foot but he doesn't connect well and it bounces into Harper's arms.
73 mins - Reading double substitution. Long and Fae are on for Kitson and Cisse.
74 mins - Newcastle substitution. Damien Duff is on for Viduka.
76 mins - Fae collects it in his own half and races down the middle in a good penetrating run. He finds Doyle, to his right, who crosses to nobody and Harper can have a goal kick. Doyle has worked tirelessly but not looked like scoring or creating a lot.
78 mins - Owen breaks down the right and finds Martins, who turns and runs at Rosenior. He turns inside both Rosenior and Hunt and shoots but the right back gets a block in and it deflects wide.
79 mins - Rosenior makes two more great blocks to stop an Owen strike and a Duff cross. Geremi ends the move by shooting over. Newcastle substitution - Alan Smith is on for Butt.
83 mins - Newcastle substitution - Diatta replaces Faye at the back.
84 mins - Barton runs at the back four and cuts inside to drive low at goal. Hahnemann saves to his right and does well to hang onto it.
87 mins - A corner is headed clear by Doyle and it's dropping for Barton on the edge of the area. He volleys it first time and it fizzes just wide of the right post. Worth a go!
89 mins - Duff races away on the counter attack and Bikey is trying to get back to him. From a narrow angle the Irishman strikes at goal but Hahnemann saves at his near post.
90 mins - Four minutes of injury time before a long trip back south.
FULL TIME - It hasn't been good to watch in the second half especially. The Royals were the better side at 0-0 but the goal seemed to give Newcastle more confidence and they capitalised. Nothing dropped Reading's way but much better will be needed in what looks like a huge home fixture against Fulham next weekend.
